Anathem by Neal Stephenson

Not many books 'stand the test of time' and certainly genre novels, whether they be science fiction, detective fiction or whatever probably even less than other forms. Neal Stephenson though, with his magnificent encyclopaedic knowledge of pretty much everything, combined with his ability to explain it and make it entertaining may be one who does.

His earlier science fiction, Snow Crash and The Diamond Age provided a taster of what he was capable of. Cryptonomicon a primer - the System of the World with his protagonists Waterhouse and Half-Cocked Jack operating in a familiar but alien 17th Century World - was his masterwork.

Anathem is a re-entry into something a little more science fictiony, but also deals with the 'what might have been/what could be' here on Earth. His planet bears some resemblance to Ian M Bank's ancient, used up world in Against a Dark Background - a planet where civilisations and cultures have risen and fallen, technologies discovered, lost and rediscovered. The use of what are effectively monasteries to carry on civilisation through various dark ages is also reminiscent of A Canticle for Liebowitz. That isn't to say that he rehashes old concepts - no one could accuse Mr Stephenson of that, as the complexity of the world and the novel unfold in 800 pages.

The use of current understanding of quantum mechanics to not only demolish the idea of time travel but also to insert a new and disturbing element of alternate universes and timelines is topnotch. I found the civilisation - along with the culture of the avout - very compelling, and one of the better efforts in world building that I've read recently.

Like all monastic/ascetic types the protagonists fancy a good argument/discussion. The problem is, that are discussing theory in a world where a) things have different names, b) possibly work differently than they do in our universe and c) are made by avouts who have spent their whole lives mulling over the learnings of thousands of years. As a result, these common occurances are normally a bit hard to follow!

While normally I find Neal Stephenson's novels a challenge, but satisfying (like eating a 3 course meal, where most novels are barely fish and chips), I did find the numerous characters and unfamiliar names for familiar things confusing. I found myself having to refer to the index and descriptions at the end quite a bit.

However confusing some of it is, I found the end result enormously satisfying, and an excellent re-entry by Neal Stephenson back into fantasy/science fiction from his sojourn in recent history. I do feel that possibly (and don't shoot me down for this System of the World phanatiques), that it could have done with some more editing!